METCHNIKOFF AND TOLSTOI 43 



condition of the animals. So, too, the patients from whom 

 the lower intestine has been removed may very probably 

 furnish him (through his assistant who remains in London) 

 with important facts for comparison with the condition of 

 persons who have not been deprived of this part of the 

 digestive apparatus. 



I have given this sketch of what my friend is doing in 

 order to furnish some notion of the kind of investigation 

 which he pursues. He does not expect to extend the 

 "lease" of human life, but by ascertaining in a definite 

 scientific way the true rules of internal and external 

 "hygiene" he does hope to give mankind an increased 

 " expectation " of life ; in fact, to enable a vastly larger 

 number of men and women to enjoy that lease to the full, 

 and to die without disappointment and regret, even with 

 contentment and pleasure, at the end of it. 



Metchnikoff was in Russia in the spring of 1909, and 

 spent a day with Tolstoi. They were " feted " and photo- 

 graphed together, the greatest artist and the greatest 

 scientist of Russia. Tolstoi is 81 years of age. He took 

 Metchnikoff out alone for a drive in his pony-cart so as to 

 talk with him without interruption. " What do you think 

 of life ? " was the first question he asked, and one which it 

 took my friend some time to answer. In regard to vege- 

 tarianism the two great men did not agree. When Metchni- 

 koff declared that there was less cruelty on man's part in 

 killing wild animals to eat them than in leaving them to 

 die by the tooth and claw of predaceous animals or from 

 starvation, Tolstoi observed that that was argument and 

 reason, and that he paid no attention to them ; he only 

 guided himself (he said) by sentiment, which he felt sure 

 told him what was good and right ! He was, however, 

 deeply interested in an account of the cannibalism of 

 savage races of men, concerning which he seemed to be 

 quite uninformed. He also was profoundly interested in 



